The Early Literacy and Learning Model/Plus (ELLM/Plus) is a research-based, comprehensive curriculum for 3-, 4-, and 5-year old preschool children that has been proven to be effective improving children's early reading achievement in an experimental study. The literacy-focused curriculum builds children's cognitive development through literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, the arts, motor experiences, and physical health. Children's acquisition of important cognitive and social/emotional development is facilitated through interactions with supportive teachers and other adults who encourage children's curiosity, persistence, and creativity by planning and implementing engaging activities and providing support during learning experiences. ELLM/Plus is designed to expand children's vocabularies and refine their understanding and comprehension of words they know and use.

ELLM/Plus Program Components

Reading Aloud and Emergent Comprehension

Reading aloud to children reinforces their understanding of print and provides opportunities for them to see letters and words, and hear the sounds that the letters make. Reading aloud helps children develop vocabulary skills and comprehensive skills as well as knowledge of story structure.

Print Concepts

Print concepts help children understand how language looks in written form. The teacher introduces print concepts and models strategies for children to use as they learn about print through reading and writing.

Oral Language, Listening, Vocabulary, and Concept Development

Oral language influences early acquisition of literacy. It provides children with an opportunity to understand how to access their knowledge in a way that will help them understand the words in a text.

Letter and Sound Knowledge

Letter and Sound Knowledge is the ability to recognize the letters of the alphabet and their sounds. Children learn the names and sounds of letters by working with a cluster of letters. Letter clusters are created by assessing children’s recognition of upper- and lowercase letters. Children are provided with explicit instruction in letter recognition. Both upper- and lowercase letters are taught at the same time to improve children’s recognition of letters and their sounds.

Phonological Awareness and Phonics Connections

Phonological Awareness is the ability to hear, focus on, think about, recognize, and manipulate the phonemes of spoken words. Children move through the levels of phonological awareness by starting at the beginning levels (Levels 1-6) to gain a solid foundation, and then moving through the more advanced levels (Levels 7-12) as they demonstrate success. Phonics connection activities are provided to give children opportunities to connect phonological awareness with print.

Emergent Writing

For children to become successful writers, they must have opportunities to write daily. Children begin to write by scribbling, drawing, and writing letter-like formations, strings of letters, and then words. Teachers help children move through the characteristics of writing by participating in daily writing experiences.

Engage children in non-literacy-related activities for two hours throughout the day.

To prepare children to become problem solvers, critical thinkers, and independent thinkers, the mathematics portion of the ELLM/Plus curriculum provides daily whole-group and small-group teaching episodes to engage children in using number concepts, shapes, patterns, and mathematical processes to question and contribute ideas to solve real-world problems.

To continue children's development as problem solvers and independent critical thinkers, the science portion of the ELLM/Plus curriculum provides teachers with whole-group and small-group teaching episodes in the areas of earth science, life science, and physical science.

To prepare children to be productive members of our diverse society, the ELLM/Plus curriculum engages children in daily social studies activities and discussions about people from different cultures and from different periods of time.

Gross motor activities involve movements using the entire body or large parts of the body. The actions that children develop include moving with balance and control and coordinating movements to perform simple tasks. Fine motor activities use the small muscles of the body and its extremities. Development requires dexterity, precision, and manipulative skills.

Rituals and routines help to provide a classroom environment that fosters children’s curiosity, creativity, persistence, and problem solving. Routines are regular or repeated ways of doing things. Rituals are more symbolic in nature, creating a sense of belonging and community. When rituals and routines are used children can anticipate what will happen next, feel nurtured, and move smoothly from activity to activity.